Automatic grand piano.



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VV l KEELE'Y AUOMATIC GRAND PIANO.

APPuc/mon FILED ocr.11,191x.

w.1. KEELEY. AUTOMATIC GRAND PIAN-O. I APILHIATION FILED 06T. HLISII.

Patented May 23,1916. v

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35 casing C-C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- WILLIAM J. KEELEY, OF NEW` YORK, N. Y.,IASSIGNOR TO AUTO PNEUMATIC ACTION COMPANY, A CORPORATION F NEW YORK. I

AUTOMATIC GRAND PIANO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mayes, 1916'.

VApplication filed October 11, 1911. Serial No. 654,105.

To alt." 11i/om it "m a 1/ concern .Be it known that I, IVILLIAM J. KEELEY,

av citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the countyof New York and .State of New York, have invented anew and useful Automatic'Grand Piano', of which the following isa specification.

The-object of this invention is to provide a new andimproved arrangement of parts in automatic 'grand .pianos, particularly of that class'which are arranged to be operated ,eitherv manually-forl mechanically through .pneumatic mechanisms.

To'this end, the invention consists of the 15 improvedarrangementof parts herein shown 1 and described.

Referring to thea'ccompanying'two sheets ofl drawings. forming part of this application for patent, Figurel is a sectional elevation ofthe frontpart of ya grand piano embodying my invention showing the piano closedbut indicating in ldotted linesthe position of the. parts when the piano 1s to be played manually. Fig. /2'v is a partial view similar to'Fig. 1. illustrating the positionof 1 the parts .when the piano is to be played automatically.. Fig. I3 is a front elevation indicating the'position of the parts. when the same are adjusted to the position shown in piano front, these arts forming the piano keys, E the key bed, F the string frame, and G- one of the -action units of a grand piano having my ,improvements incorpo- "rated therein.4 u

H designates the mainjlid and I the supplemental lid of thel piano, the supplemental lid being hinged to .the main lid andthe main lid. arranged to be raised inl theordinary manner common in grand -pianos Ways 10-1"0 are formed in the piano frame and `fitted 'to slide horizontally thereon is a. shelf J pivoted, or hinged to the front of which is the musicdesk n usual foot L for supporting the music, fold- A 50 ably pivoted to the `front end of the music desk K. Thevmusic desk'is provided with l oneormore arms 11-11 pivoted to the back 4tl'iereof and arranged to engage into notches A12carried by t efshelfqJ.. By-this arrangei. 5.a mengt@ .Shelf .J 'and itsy .parts .can be slid a depending molding the couble fall board, D the,

forward and backwardly horizontally in the piano casing and the music desk K 'audits foot can be turned to operative position, as indicated ,in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the angle at which the desk is set Acan be ad-l justed by placing the ,arms 11-l-11 in dif- I ferent notches 12. It is understood, of course, y

that when the music deskisl raised to opera" tive position 'that the piano -is opened either4 by turning t-he supplemental lid back on the main lid, or by turning the supplemental lid back on the main lid and raising both lids. I

' Vhen the piano is closed., the music desk is foldeddownwardly on the shelf, asindicated l in' full ylines in Fig. 1.

The. supplemental vlid I is Provided with i which conceals the front end of the shelf and music desk when the piano lids are closed.l

The top of the key board B is formed in part of cross beam 14. Hingedto this cross beam is a base 15, which base normallyhangs 'A down in vertical position, as shown in Fig.

l, but which base can be swung to occupy a horizontal position, as lshown in Fig. 2. One or more arms 16-16 is or are pivoted in the case at the rear of and near the bottom of the key board. Each of these arms has a slot 17, the upper end of which is enlarged so that a tongue 18 'can project therein. Thebase 15 is provided on its sides withl pins 19-19 which t in the slots in said arms. By this arrangement, when the base is swung from vertical position shown in Fig. 1, to the horizontal position shown in Fig. 2,

I vthe same will be automatically locked in its horizontal position, and -whenit is desired to swing the same .from horizontal positionl 1 back to vertical position, the base is slightly lifted and the arms pulled forwardly to disengage the-tongues 18 from the pins`19.

Secured tothe base 15 are boards 20-20 and aboard 21 is secured'at the back of the' boards 20-20. .The` boards 20-20 are arranged to carry the tracker 4and the note sheet operating mechanism. To' this end, av

tracker M- is secured between said boards and said boards carry the' usual bearings N-N for vsupporting the music roll. A f music spool Oy is also mounted on bearings carried by said boardsQO-i-QO and the'usual gearing for operating the `music spool or the music roll is secured to the right-hand board A 5 20,as shown in Fig. 3. A pneumatic motor .l

Pis arranged in the lowerpart of the piano extending from nipples connected to the perforations lin the 654,101 The fir-afn shaft e2 wit-liiii the piano casing and illustrated in my"co'pending application` filed ofeven date herewith, Serial No. ofthis motor carries av sprocket wheel 23 which is con-l nected by a sprocket chain 211 wheel 25 arranged on a sha-ft 26 journaled in the piano casing at one side thereof. The shaft 26 is connected by'a sprocket wheel 27, and a. sprocket chain 28, to ,the sprocket wheel 29 of the gearing secured to the right-l hand board 20. The shaft 26 is ranged substantially .in line with the pivotspr hinges of the base 15, and by this arrangement, Yas the base 15 is swung from vertical to horizontal, or from horizontal to vertical position, the connection of the gearing to the motor is not varied. The connection to the gearing to shift the` gearing so as to actua-te either the musicv spool or music'roll is also arranged inline so as not to be vdisconnected bythe swinging of the base 15.

If desired, an automatic tracking arrangement Q may be secured on top of the base 15 and connected to the right-hand bea-ring of the music roll. This'automatic tracking mechanism may 'be operated through openings in the tracker and will serve to cause the music position laterally over the tracker. automaticl tracking arrangement and the gearing ni'ay be housed in .by a suitable oasing secured catedby dotted lines in Fig. '3, if desired.

lA board 30 may be arranged between the board 20-20 so as tocome over the tracker when the base 15 is swung to horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 2. The tracker has the rear surface thereof,

trackerand flexible tracker tubes 31 have their front ends placedon thesenipples and their other ends -placed on nipplesextending out from a valve. box R. This valve box is arrangedv iii the position shownin Fig'. 1,

in front of the action'- and over the keys. lThe valve box carries a set of primary valves S and secf ondary valves T' which control a set of oper- -ating pneiiinatics Uarranged at the rear of the-valve box, and also in front of the action and over the. keys., The. .pneumatics are preferably arranged in two banks and the pneuniatics have pusliers or abstracts 32 which are adjustably arrangedto engage the actions,the pusliers of tlie-lowerpneumatics passing through guides. as indicated in Fig. 1. The valve box is connected to a suitable vacuuni-inducing apparatus.

The arrangements heretofore described are very desirable in that they donot detract from the appearance of the piano,` and in that the pneuiiiatics or apparatus is concealed when the ,piano is closed or played manually.. When the piano is closed or to a sprocket sheet torunv in proper.,

The

to` the top of the base as indiplayed manually, the base 15 occupies the position shown in Fig. 1. When the parts are in this position, the tracker and the music sheet manipulating' mechanism are down in the piano case below the shelfand music 'deskand in front of the string frame and vthus will be concealed from view as they come under the shelf Then the piano is to: be played mechanically or. pneuniatically, the supplemental lid I is folded back and both'lids raised if desired, the

shelf J and'music desk pushed backwardly in the piano casing, and the base 154 swung asshown in Fig. This will bring the tracker and musicup to horizontal position, 2. sheet manipulating The details and arrangements herein shown and described may be greatly varied by a skilled mechanic without departing fronithe scope of my,invention as expressed in the claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim Vand desire to secure by Letters-Patent is :--v

1. An automatic grand piano having, in i combination, a casing, a music desk `mounted onsaid casing and-movable into and out of operative position, a base hinged to the I'casing and movable to raised position' when said desk is withdrawn from operative' position, a tracker and 'sheet operating mech-l anism carried by said base, and means for supporting said base in raised position, saidv base when in lowered position supporting the tracker and sheet operating mechanism within the casing and below the desk and whenin raised' position supporting sai-d parts so that the note sheet will substantially coincide with theposition which the music desk occupies -when in operative position.

2. An automatic grand piano` having in combination a casing, a shelf s lidably mounted therein, a music 'desk the shelf, a base hinged to the casing below and adjacent to the shelf. and a tracker and sheet operating mechanism mounted on said base. the base being effective to support the tracker and sheet operating within the casing and below the music desk and also to support the tracker. and sheetv on the .music desk pivotcd to mechanism mechanism completely above thepiano casing and will bring the,

to the position occupied by' as he reads'a piece of musicv ISI """ yooye thel'easing'after the shelf and music neen yhave 'beenpushed l-backward, said hacker and operatmg' mechanism thereafter occupying substantially the positionV occupied by the music desk when in. operative I position.

, 3.,.Inan automatiegrand piano, the eom-A L, .binaton f .of the leasing, a vshelf slidably mounted thereon-andcarrying amusic desk, a base hinged to the casing,l a' tracker and vsheet 4operating mechanism mounted on the lbasea'nd means for-holding the base so that f the tracker and! sheet operating mechanism When in operative position .willv be substan.

tiallyin the positionfoccupied by the music 15 desk when` in operative position.

-In testimony whereof I have hereunto set y my hand, in the presence oftwo subscribing Witnesses. l f

WILLIAM J. KEELRY' Witnesses:

WM. J. BARTON, EDGAR STEvENsoN. 

